Monday, June 18, 2018

Events: National Geographic Explorers Festival Wrap Up


National Geographic put on an amazing Festival to celebrate the Changemakers of the Year. The National Geographic Explorers Festival brought together some of the world’s most innovative scientists, conservationists, explorers, and storytellers so they could share their discoveries and insights to the public as well as be honored for the incredible impact they have made in creating a more sustainable future.


The week-long festival featured an incredible Award Ceremony, recognizing remarkable explorers including Carolyn Porco, who was on the Cassini mission in orbit around Saturn & the Voyager mission to the outer solar system, Michelle Bachelet, the former president of Chile who is recognized for protecting marine areas, Peter Raven, who has devoted his life to educating people about the threats to Earth’s biodiversity, and Joel Sartore, one of my idols, who is attempting to document every species in order to help save endangered creatures.... along with so many others.



The Festival also included a Party for the Planet, a Friday-night celebration that promoted living sustainably. Party-goers were asked to the pledge: Planet or Plastic? This pledge is a commitment to reduce the use of single-use plastic in their daily lives. Nat Geo wants to raise awareness of the damages created by single-use plastic, especially to the world’s oceans. By taking the pledge, individuals will become part of the global community that is helping to create a better marine ecosystem for the planet. You can take the pledge here. The party also included healthy food trucks, which featured vegan options and locally prepared dishes, open bars with sustainably-made cocktails with Nat Geo glass straws, and spots to bike while drinking! 



The Festival also included an incredible all-day talk with remarkable explorers that discussed critical issues about our Planet, including climate change species at risk, and technological innovations that cause threats to our environment. The explorers collaborated on ways to fix these issues, adapt to our current environment, and #IgniteChange. On the final day of the festival, Nat Geo hosted a full-day of outstanding documentaries that showcased the incredible work that so many of their Explorers have accomplished in saving our planet for future generations.



It was another fantastic Explorers Festival put on by Nat Geo. We were inspired, and once again reminded how much can get done when we #SaveTogether. We hope we can help in reducing our use of plastic, as well as find other ways to help keep our planet balanced. What’s your action plan for the future of Earth?


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